Brown County Studio Tour Artist Martha Sechler ~ by Bob Gustin
Two of Martha Sechler’ s passions— storytelling and watercolor painting— somehow merged into one over the years and continue to thrive, even as she retires from her position at the Brown County Public Library.
“ I see pictures when I’ m telling the stories and I hear the stories when I’ m creating the painting,” she said. It is that emotional and creative interplay, perhaps, that lends a unique quality to both. Martha came into both skills naturally. Raised in Goshen, Ind., her mother was a housewife who would read books and articles, then give reviews and interpretations of them to local clubs or groups. Her father was a printer with an artistic bent, and both parents were avid readers.
Majoring in education, Martha earned a degree from the University of Evansville in 1969, but many of her formative experiences came during summer vacations doing service projects.
She grew up in the Mennonite church, which she still appreciates because it was“ open to all kinds of people from all over the world.” The church offered summer volunteer programs, and Martha took advantage of them.
She worked on a Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana, setting up camps and Bible schools. A summer in Denver found her working at a home for mentally challenged children and adults, then at nursing homes.
“ It was an eye-opener,” she said.“ I just spent time with them and listened to their stories.”
Later, she volunteered in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador where she lived with local families.
After college, she went to work on a Hopi reservation in Arizona through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, teaching second, third, and fourth graders. It was there she began painting with watercolors, and took classes through Northern Arizona University and the University of Montana.
“ I left because I felt it was the right thing to do. The teaching needed to be done by indigenous people.”
62 Our Brown County • Sept./ Oct. 2023